


Rufus' Very Bad Not So Good Horrible October

by MeChewChew



Series: Mechewchew's Whumptober2020 [1]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Angst, M/M, Violence, Whumptober
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:55:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26750953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeChewChew/pseuds/MeChewChew
Summary: 2020 Whumptober/Turkstober prompts focused mainly on Tseng and Rufus with a splash of the other Turks. Please read warnings before each chapter.
Relationships: Reno/Rude (Compilation of FFVII), Rufus Shinra/Tseng
Series: Mechewchew's Whumptober2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1965250
Comments: 104
Kudos: 95
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	1. "I killed him." (ReRu, TsengRu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rufus, Reno, and Rude get kidnapped. Not everyone makes it. The ones that do feel like it's their fault.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 1 & 2: Restrained, "Pick who Dies", Partners
> 
> Warnings: Major Character Death, Kidnapping, Gun Violence, Trauma
> 
> Pairings: ReRu, TsengRu

“Reno, don’t!”

His voice cracks, dry from hours of being held down in a shabby, rundown basement. The ropes around his arms, wrists, and legs haven’t budged in all his time there. A fist meets his stomach and he doubles over in a fit, coughing as a hand pulls his hair back and strains his neck.

“Hey!” A gruff voice shouts across from him, a man equally as hideous holding Reno who snarls and fidgets, still has the energy to attempt escape after being kicked and cut.

Rude’s in the same position as them, on his knees, scraped and battered, sunglasses lost long ago, stepped on and kicked into the corner. He doesn’t look at Rufus, eyes focused purely on his partner. His eyes are brighter than usual and he’s calm. Far too calm for the situation.

The man leans down towards Reno, fist tightening in his hair. “Pick one.”

Rufus takes a sharp breath, feeling cool metal pressed against his temple. He can see a glint to his side. There’s one against Rude too.

“Reno, don’t!” He shouts again, wincing when the gun grinds against his head.

There _must_ be some way out of this.

Tseng _has_ to be near.

“If you’re not gonna pick, then they’ll both go.” The man shrugs, as if they’re in a business transaction.

He hears the safety click off and his heart leaps into his throat.

Rufus has never seen Reno so distraught. His lips are pulled taut, teeth clenched and growling at their captors. Bright, teal eyes turned into a deadly glare. There’s something else there, hidden beneath the rage. Something just as intense, like it’s ready to burst out at any moment.

“It’s okay.”

He barely hears it above his own heartbeat, looks over to see Rude giving Reno a soft smile. There’s no fear in his eyes, no worry, only a slight build up of tears resting on his waterline.

They’ve been here for hours by now. There’s no one coming to save them.

There’s no windows. A damp chill runs through the air; they must be underground. It’s impossible to track them through cell signal, as if their phones weren’t crushed the moment they got caught anyways.

Their captors had already promised that they’d be let go if Reno picked.

Picked who would die.

He doesn’t want Reno to pick.

He doesn’t want to die.

He has so many grand plans. For him. For Shinra. _For the World._

But he can’t stand the thought of someone else pulling the trigger.

If his men were to die for him, he wants to hold the responsibilities. _To bear the burden for their death_.

It should be him choosing between Reno and Rude. Not the other way around.

Because he knows that at the end of the day, they’re going to pick-

“Rude.”

It’s so quiet, barely above a whisper. Reno looks exhausted all of a sudden; body drooping and eyes dimming as he says his partner’s name.

Rufus struggles in his ropes, a desperate ‘no’ leaving his lips, only to be cut off by a tired stare from Reno. Teal eyes turn away from him and back to Rude, a heavy swallow followed by a single tear. And then another. And then, another.

“Close your eyes, Sir.” Reno says, voice calm despite his quivering composure. He’s not looking at him, focused solely on Rude.

“Please, Rufus. Don’t look.” Reno’s not asking him. He’s begging him. Pleading for him to turn away.

Rufus isn’t meant to see these kinds of things.

He’s not a Turk.

“It’s okay, Sir.” Rude says gently and Rufus turns to look at him. Rude gives him a reassuring smile and a comforting nod. Professional, until the end. Rufus takes in the image of one of the longest people to stand by his side.

And then, he closes his eyes.

He doesn’t see the longing gaze that Reno and Rude give each other, only hears the sobs that escape Reno’s mouth as a tear slips down Rude’s cheek.

There’s a gun shot followed by a piercing cry.

Rufus squeezes his eyes shut and flinches at the sounds. Shudders when something warm splashes against his cheek. He barely feels the blunt end of the gun strike him before he’s out cold.

He wakes up in a jolt, sitting up and taking in his surroundings as he pants. Two arms wrap around him and he shouts, pushing against them until he smells a familiar scent, feels a hand gently scratching the base of his head, lips leaving a kiss on his shoulder.

“Tseng.” He whispers, voice cracking as he violently shakes in his hold. He stares down at his hands, eyes widening when he sees blood covering them in one moment then gone the next.

“Shh,” Tseng nuzzles his cheek, massages his back gently.

“I killed him.”

“No, you didn’t”

“It’s my fault.” Rufus brings his hands up to his face, letting out a whimper when he blinks and sees red again.

“I killed him!” He shouts, hands pressing into his face, tears spilling over down his cheeks.

He barely registers Tseng trying to comfort him, wrestling his hands away from his face and pulling him tightly into his hold. His head’s pushed down onto Tseng’s shoulder, into his neck. Tseng doesn’t stop repeating that it wasn’t his fault, that he couldn’t have stopped it, that he didn’t kill him, until he succumbs to exhaustion. Before he falls asleep, he vaguely wonders about the wet streaks running down his hair where Tseng nuzzles against him.

Tseng tries not to think about the what ifs as he holds Rufus. Tries not to think of his own selfishness. That he had been so relieved to find Rufus unharmed as Reno sat catatonic next to him in the helicopter on the way back.

Somewhere in the slums, Reno takes another swig out of his bottle and doubles over in an alley, crying as he slowly poisons himself to escape his guilt. There’s no one to comfort him anymore. No one to tell him that he wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger. That he wasn’t the one who killed his partner.Elena monitors him silently from a rooftop, patting her own cheeks with a handkerchief.

They have a small funeral in the coming weeks. Elena gets reassigned to be Reno’s partner. Tseng won’t leave Rufus’ side.

At the end of the day, there’s only one thought that keeps them going. That Rufus hadn’t witnessed the moment of death, hadn’t seen the blood staining his white. That they had done their job and kept him clean while they covered themselves in red.


	2. So Pretty (TsengRu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tseng watches a man obsessed with Rufus treat him like a pretty doll. Then, at the right moment, he strikes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 2, 3, 4: Collars, Caged, Kidnapped, Gunpoint
> 
> Warnings: Misuse of Materia (drugged?), Obsession, Gun Fellatio, Violence, Tseng goes feral
> 
> Pairings: Tseng/Rufus

“You’re so pretty, Mr. President.”

Tseng jerks in his restraints, ropes pulled taught against his arms, bruising into his skin where they’re tied around his suit. He snarls and glares at the ex-Corneo member, burly and just as hideous with that smirk on his face.

“Now, now, calm down, little lapdog.” The man coaxes, a light glimmering in his hand.

Before he knows it, his body relaxes, slumping against the pipe he’s tied to. He must have been slowed.

Tseng watches with heavy eyes, still glaring at the man as he turns his attention back to the gold cage. It’s ornate, finely crafted metalwork. Large. Life sized.

Rufus sits quietly inside it, eyes swimming, head bobbing as he struggles to keep it up. His restraints had been removed before he was seated inside, jacket flaring around him like a puddle on the floor. A gold collar rested perfectly around his neck, a triad of materias inset into the center of it, ever shining as it continually casted. Slow. Confusion. Silence.

Tseng grinds his teeth together, eyes furrowed as he watches the man slink behind the cage, sliding an arm between the bars to palm at Rufus’ face. A calloused hand rubs against his cheeks, thumb rubbing against the sharp curves of his face before turning his head towards him.

Rufus’ eyes are half lidded, neck craned upwards, eyes unfocused on his captor. A thumb slips between his lips, pulling down to open his mouth. The man smiles, rubbing his thumb against his bottom lip. Soft. Plush.

The man’s deluded, obsessed with Rufus. He wouldn’t do anything to harm his object of desire. Tseng hopes.

“So perfect. Don’t worry, Mr. President, no one will hurt you as long as I’m here.”

Tseng sees red and digs his nails into his palm to ground himself. Possibilities run through his head, noting all the exits. He’ll have to play it slow. Literally. He can feel the effects of the materia beginning to wane and he focuses on the one rope around his wrists that has finally loosens in all his struggling.

The hand withdraws from Rufus’ face and Tseng’s relieved. Only for a moment. His breath hitches in the next moment when he pulls out a gun, just as ornate as the rest of his “decor.”

Tseng forces himself to calm down, renews his focus so the last of the rope slips off his wrists so he can discreetly work on the ones around his arms and chest.

Rufus’ head droops once more, the familiar glint of materia casting glimmers in the room for a moment. The man uses the tip of his gun to lift his chin back up to rest against the bars. Then, it trails under Rufus’ jaw, across his cheek, to rest _just_ against his lips.

Tseng swallows the lump in his throat and carefully controls his instinct to lash out again, to lunge forward and rip apart the man for touching Rufus. Instead, he bristles and bites on his lips. Slow. Steady. Wait for the right time.

The gun slips into Rufus’ mouth and blue eyes manage to widen just a fraction in his materia overdose, body shifting just slightly in his panic.

“Shh,” the man coos, other hand coming around to pet his head. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.”

Tseng feels sickened by his expression. A leering smile with crazed eyes. His stomach drops as he watches him push the gun in further, hearing Rufus gag when it goes too far. The man apologizes and fusses over him, but the metal never leaves his mouth.

It feels like ages as Tseng watches the gun being pulled out slowly and pushed back in, watching this sick play between a man and his delusions. The safety is never clicked off, thankfully. Tseng holds his breath when the gun finally leaves Rufus’ mouth.

He doesn’t hesitate.

Ropes are ripped off and a hand reaches into his jacket to pull out his pistol. He aims.

One shot to the hand.

Rufus flinches as the man screams bloody murder and drops his gun.

He doesn’t know what overcomes him, but Tseng lunges and descends on him, shoving a knee into his chest so hard his ribs cave in, bashing his head against the floor. His teeth are bared and he feels as if some beast has been unleashed from inside of him, hungry for blood, out for the kill; feral.

The man has been dead underneath his hand for minutes now, blood pooling under his head, a trail of red leaking from his mouth, eyes rolled up to show angry veins. But he can’t stop. He can’t control his body, fueled by an inner rage let loose. He shouldn’t have let this happen, they should have never been caught, it’s all his-

“Tseng.”

It’s barely a murmur, whispered under a breath.

Tseng immediately freezes and looks down at the mess beneath him, gloves and pants soaked in blood. He doesn’t feel any remorse. Only relief that he had been turned away from Rufus, hiding the killing, hiding his loss of control.

He lets out a deep sigh and composes himself. He shoves the body away from him, out of sight. The gloves peel off, dropped onto the lifeless form beneath him.

“Just one moment, Sir.”

He fixes his hair and smoothes it back down before pulling his phone out from his jacket and sends Reno a tracking location before putting it away again. Then, he finally turns back to Rufus with a neutral expression, slightly worried.

He circles back around to the entrance of the cage and fiddles with the lock for one second before deciding to yank it off. He steps in and kneels down next to Rufus, checking for any injuries before turning his attention to the gold collar. This, he’s more careful with.

He pulls Rufus to rest against him, body pliant in his arms. With nimble fingers, the collar comes unclasped and goes right into his pocket for safe keeping.

Rufus sighs into his neck and Tseng pulls his head back to check on him, watching dazed and dilated eyes slowly turn back to their clear blue. Very slowly. It must be the effect of the repeated casting on his body.

He hears the familiar sound of a helicopter nearby and tucks an arm under Rufus’ legs, the other behind his back, head supported against his chest. With a huff, he gets up on knee, then pushes himself up to stand.

“You’re so heavy,” he groans, adjusting his grip.

“Hmm…” Rufus hums against him, still addled from the materia.

He takes them outside and through a series of alleys until they reach the chopper. Rude meets them at the door and reaches out, but Rufus curls up into Tseng. It takes some time before Rude can haul them both in at the same time.

Tseng sits in the back, hand running through Rufus’ hair as he sleeps in his lap. They’ll unpack what happened today in the morning.

For tonight, his most pressing concern is how to get Rufus off the helicopter and into their room without him whining.


	3. Shinra Lapdogs (TsengRu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A happier take on Shinra's building collapse. From Elena's perspective. Featuring Dark Nation! :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 4: Building Collapse
> 
> Warnings: None, it's rather happy; I know you're surprised.
> 
> Pairings: Tseng/Rufus

Elena’s new. The rookie. That’s what she’s been for these past 2 months to them. She’s never fully understood their dedication to Rufus Shinra, never felt it even after Reno recalled their tales together before she was introduced to the team.

Tseng is always professional, Reno loose, and Rude quiet around their boss. There’s no inkling, to her, that there was something much deeper there. Besides the way that Reno tells her to just trust Rufus when they go along with his schemes.

And now she stands in awe and watches as Tseng, Reno, and Rude desperately claw through the rubble of the Shinra building. She’s never seen Reno so quiet and focused in her life, eyes a bright teal against the dust of the bricks. Rude, always immaculate and clean, is covered in debris, faces scrunched up in focus.

Tseng, recently discharged from the hospital himself, sports bandages wound around his chest, gauze taped to his cheeks. They don’t address the blood slowly blossoming on his shirt. Out of the 4 of them, he’s digging with the most vigor. Finely customized leather gloves are starting to show wear and tear, seams coming undone and fraying at the edges.

Elena’s helping too, of course, but not with the same conviction that they are. To be perfectly honest, she doesn’t have much hope. To survive a direct WEAPON blast and then the collapse of the Shinra building? Reno says otherwise, that the boss has a knack for surviving when he shouldn’t, just like Tseng.

She admires their dedication though. They don’t have any machinery with them to help, only their hands to push aside rubble. They’ve been here for at least two hours already, maybe three now. She wonders when Tseng will call it o-

“Chief! Chief!” Reno shouts, waving his arms frantically from the side.

They run over, collapsing to their knees, and start digging. There’s a high pitched whining and she gasps.

With the four of them combined, the debris are easily moved aside. It doesn’t even take ten minutes before a familiar nose sticks out, whining and keening.

“Good girl, shh.”

Tseng pets Dark Nation’s nose, the only thing peeking through the rubble for now. In another fifteen minutes, they’ve uncovered the top of her back, her tentacle lying limply. It must be broken. They can only assume the rest of her bones are broken too.

They make a move to try and lift her out, but she growls softly and digs her head down. It’s then that she sees it. Sees him.

Rufus Shinra.

“Sir!”

The others let out a delighted gasp and start digging to free Dark’s side up. She must have protected him from the blast. The further they dig, the more white is exposed. His clothes are dusty if anything, hair flaring around him and eyes peacefully closed. If she hadn’t known better, she would’ve guessed he’d just been asleep in a broom closet. Tseng tells her to call for help and she stands to the side with her phone, watching.

Tseng coos at Dark, rubbing her soothingly and coaxing her away from her owner, but the dog is nothing but resilient. She’s mildly surprised when Tseng reaches into his pocket and pulls out a little treat for her. She barks happily and manages to eat it, finally letting them slide her out.

Tseng is immediately on Rufus, inspecting his body with only the gentlest touches. There doesn’t seem to be too much damaged on the surface. There’s no blood, at least. She thinks that he’ll probably have a concussion and lung damage at minimum.

The paramedics arrive and slowly scale their way through the rubble. She watches Tseng gently stroke Rufus’ cheek and give him the slightest smile. Relieved. His shoulders relax and he almost deflates, looking smaller all of a sudden, like the weight of the world isn’t on his shoulders.

He hesitates a moment and looks around. Elena pretends to look away and watch the emergency crew, but she sees the way Tseng leans down at plants a chaste kiss on Rufus’ forehead, the way he softly cups his jaw and rubs his thumb against his cheek. She strains her ears to catch Tseng chiding Rufus, _‘I’m gone for a few weeks and this is what you get yourself into?’_ There’s no malice in his voice, only a slight lilt and a quiet sigh.

Then, he steps away, professional as ever, to let the paramedics carefully lift Rufus onto a stretcher. His eyes are sharp though, watching their movements carefully.

He puts Reno in charge and hands them a full cure materia for Dark and follows after Rufus, boarding the ambulance with him.

Elena crouches down and pets at Dark’s head while Reno cures her. She thinks about how maybe they are Shinra lapdogs. But not in a bad way. Protective, loyal to a fault. Tseng, well, he’s always been on a different level than the rest of them.

She might not know much about their boss now, but she knows that he inspires loyalty. Enough that men like Tseng, Reno, and Rude don’t simply walk off the job when they can. That they all came back to look for him when anyone else would’ve left him for dead.

She thinks that she wants to experience that loyalty as well, to feel what her coworkers feel. To enter into this makeshift family they have.

Maybe when this is all over she’ll have the chance.

As soon as Dark’s healed, she’s up and barking again. Reno shouts and the three of them are fumbling to grab her leash before she can go running off after Rufus.

They manage to grab it, but Elena’s never imagined that bumping heads with Reno and Rude would hurt so much.


	4. “Please…” (TsengRu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rookie Tseng visits the labs and tries to help Rufus Shinra escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 5, 6, 7: Failed Escape, Please..., I've got you
> 
> Warnings: Hojo's lab, Experimentation, Drugged
> 
> Pairings: TsengRu
> 
> **Turned into a longer, standalone fic! Please refer to my fic named "Runaway"

It’s Tseng’s first time in the labs alone. He’s barely a rookie, on a routine mission to scour the labs to make sure the good Professor isn’t doing anything he shouldn’t be.

Personally, Tseng thinks Hojo shouldn’t be doing a lot of the things he does, but that’s not on his payroll.

It’s night time, after hours for all the regular workers. There’s a board meeting, so Hojo’s out of his labs for once. It’s nearly silent except for the occasional machine beeping or liquid shifting. He can hear every step he takes, echoing throughout the spacious rooms.

The labs are dimly lit with a red light; enough for him to see where he’s walking. Unfortunately, enough for him to see the deformed creatures sitting in the life sized test tubes too.

He delves deeper into the labs with a shiver, passing by malformed monsters, animals, humans. There’s some lion in one, tail lit with fire and eye bright in the dark. Tseng nearly jumps out of his skin when he meets his gaze, but takes a deep breath and continues on.

He crosses by a room with a dark shadow inside, shifting slightly, struggling. Something compels him to step in, his gut feeling telling him that this wasn’t supposed to be a part of the lab. He walks in, uses a small flashlight that he fishes out of his pocket to shine on the figure.

“Ah-!” He cuts off the scream before it can resonate, eyes wide at the hand that curls around his wrist.

Pale. Human. Shaking.

“Please…”

The voice is raspy, nearly blends in with the noises of the lab. Tseng shines the light up a quaking arm, across a white clad shoulder, and up to a pale face. He gasps, met with demure blue eyes, platinum hair sticking across his forehead, a fever blooming across his cheeks.

“Rufus Shinra?” He whispers in surprise.

“Help me,” The boy whimpers, gripping him like his life depending on it.

Alarm bells ring in Tseng’s head.

The President’s son shouldn’t be in the labs. That’s a definite. But how did he get down here in the first place? Did he get taken from his room?

Rufus lets out a shaky breath and Tseng’s attention is back on him. He needs to get him out. But first…

“Let go, Sir.”

He gently starts peeling Rufus’ fingers off of him. As soon as one’s off, it latches back on. Tseng sighs and leans down so they’re eye level, trying to be as sincere as he can.

“It’s okay, Sir. I’ve got you.”

It takes a moment before Rufus nods, shuddering as he lets go of Tseng’s arm. Tseng makes quick work of the restraints; two on his upper arms, one wrapped around his chest, and two tying his legs to the chair.

“Can you stand?” Tseng takes his arms and pulls him up. Rufus huffs and sways against him for a moment.

“S-”

An alarm rings through the lab, shaking Tseng to the core. His adrenaline spikes and before he knows it, he’s dragging Rufus and running out of the room and past the test tubes.

Rufus pants behind him, breathing much too hard for a normal person.

_He’s slowing them down._

They won’t make it out before being caught.

He stops them abruptly and Rufus runs straight into him. “Excuse me, Sir.” Before he can get a response, he’s loading Rufus onto his back.

“Please hang on tightly.”

Rufus’ arms come to wrap around his neck loosely and that’s good enough for him. He races through the labs, wincing when bright lights flash on. He doesn’t spare a second glance at all the creatures lining the wall, beelining for the exit.

_They’re so close._

Just a few more-

The doors open and Tseng nearly drops Rufus as he comes to a halt. Hojo and Heidegger are there. That’s no surprise. He readjusts Rufus on his back, shaking with cold sweat and digging his nails into his suit.

“Chief?”

His voice comes out quieter than he expects. He’s confused. Why is Veld here?

“Tseng.” Veld frowns at him, feigning confusion. “What are you doing here?”

Tseng has no idea how to answer without giving the mission away. So he does the best next thing.

He doesn’t.

“Leave him to me, I’ll handle it.” Veld says after a beat.

“I trust your men aren’t running amuck,” Heidegger sneers, going back to the meeting.

Hojo simply shrugs before turning away, “Put the boy back where you found him.”

The doors close and Tseng’s left alone with Veld and the heir on his back.

“Sir?” He’s breathless, the adrenaline wearing off.

Rufus squeezes him tighter, shudders, when Veld walks past them, into the lab.

“Follow me, Tseng.”

He doesn’t want to, chest tightening at the thought of returning to that place. But he doesn’t have a choice.

They get back to that room, illuminated now. The chair is cushioned and tilted back, looking as innocent as ever. If it weren’t for the rubber straps splayed open on the arms and legs. He can’t imagine what the President’s son was doing in it.

It makes Tseng sick.

“Please,” Rufus whispers in his ear.

Veld holds his arms out, reaches for the heir.

Tseng finds himself taking a step back, turning to put himself between them.

He can’t do it. It’s against his conscious, his morals. To put an innocent life into evil hands.

Veld takes a step forward.

Tseng takes a step back.

Veld sighs, looking at them with anguish.

“He belongs here, Tseng. He wasn’t part of the mission.”

Tseng feels his body go numb, a weight dropped in his stomach, looking at his mentor with shock. Betrayal.

Veld steps beside him and attempts to pull Rufus from his back, but arms wrap around Tseng tighter, nearly choking him. Tseng finds himself digging his hands into Rufus’ legs, holding onto him. The quietest ‘no’ is whispered into his ear.

He hears fabric shifting behind him and Rufus is suddenly dead weight on his back. Sleep.

“Let go, Tseng.” Veld says softly, tugging Rufus’ arms free from his neck.

He shouldn’t defy orders.

He lets Veld take him from his back and strap him back into the seat. Tseng watches, sees how labored Rufus’ breathing is, how flushed his cheeks are, how sick he looks as his head droops to the side.

Tseng feels an immense weight on his shoulders at the sight. His stomach churns at the guilt. He feels like he could vomit.

Veld quietly divulges to him that Rufus is having some tests run on him.

Tseng knows it’s a kind way to say that he’s being experimented on.

As he walks out of the room with his mentor, he looks back to Rufus and promises to himself that he’ll come back for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turned into a longer, standalone fic! Please refer to my fic named "Runaway"


	5. “Don’t leave me" (TsengRu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tonight might be the final night.
> 
> Elena, Reno, and Rude have already said their goodbyes.
> 
> And then, there’s only Tseng.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 8, 9: Don't Say Goodbye, Take Me Instead
> 
> Warnings: Major Character Death
> 
> Pairings: TsengRu

Tseng holds his hand in both of his, squeezes gently despite everything in his body telling him to hold on tighter. Rufus’ hand is cold between his; weak, brittle. It contrasts the warm look that Rufus gives him, one blue eye brighter than ever as he smiles softly at him.

Tseng hates it.

He feels Rufus give him a squeeze back, just barely. It makes Tseng want to wretch, to purge himself of these uncomfortable feelings dwelling in his chest. He had better get used to it. They’ll stay with him forever, he predicts.

“Tseng.”

He sobs.

It comes out uncontrollably, a quick hiccup in his throat, one blink too strong that sends a tear trailing down his cheek. He feels Rufus’ hand shift in his hold, a finger wiping away the moisture on his face.

“Don’t cry, I’m not dead yet.” Rufus chirps, caressing his cheek.

Tseng sniffles, grits out between breaths, “don’t joke about it.”

Rufus laughs weakly. “How can I not? When you look like you’re about to cry your heart out?”

Because he is.

The doctors have already called it, already told them to prepare for the worst. That tonight might be the final night.

Elena, Reno, and Rude have already said their goodbyes. Cried their eyes out as Rufus told them what a good job they’ve done all these years. Rufus doesn’t complain when they hug him too tightly, only using the little of his strength to bring his hand up to their head, patting them gently, soothing them. It’s not until the moon is high in the sky that they finally leave, noses red and eyes glistening as they give him one last look. Rufus makes sure to give them an encouraging smile and thanks them for being with him.

And then, there’s only Tseng.

Tseng who has finally cracked, finally broken down to let his emotions pour through. It’s like a dam; he can’t stop the flow.

“Tseng.”

He’s a mess. He holds onto Rufus’ hand like a life line, pressing it against trembling lips as he shakes with each sob. Rufus reaches out his other hand towards him and Tseng all but collapses onto the bed. He finds himself under the blanket, a leg wrapped around Rufus’ and arms hurriedly taking him into his hold, pressed against his chest.

To his credit, Rufus doesn’t struggle or complain, only embraces him back as best he can while Tseng lets out a sorrowful gasp.

“Tseng.”

“Don’t.”

“Tseng-“

“Don’t say goodbye.”

“Tseng.”

 _“Don’t leave me,”_ Tseng whispers harshly against his hair, wet by now. It’s selfish, he knows. Rufus is the one dying and Tseng can’t muster up the courage to comfort him. To show him that he’ll be okay.

Because he won’t be.

_He can’t._

They were supposed to do so many things, had so many plans. How many times had he listened as Rufus rambled off at night about their future, dragging his fingers across Tseng’s chest, mapping it out like some great explorer?

Rufus cranes his neck up. Tseng loosens his hold just barely. Enough so that he can look at Rufus, place a chaste kiss against his forehead. Rufus smiles at him. Tseng scoots himself down so they’re at the same level, lifts himself up on one arm just slightly so he can hover over him. Looks at him, memorizes his features as if he already hadn’t done so years ago. He cups Rufus’ cheek and leans down, takes him in a kiss.

He pretends that he can’t taste the death and decay.

Rufus wraps an arm around his neck, massages the back of his head as best he can, pulls on his hair a little, for old time’s sake.

Tseng manages to smile into the kiss, the first one of the night. Rufus smiles back and Tseng can feel a tear slip between their lips, Rufus’ first one of the night.

Tseng doesn’t know how long they spend like that. There’s nothing left to be said between them. Nothing that needs to be said that they don’t already know. At this point in their lives, they’ve already learned how to communicate without words.

And yet, it’s still nice to say it. Hear it back. Affirming. Comforting.

Tseng pulls back from the kiss, wipes away the stray tear on Rufus’ face the same way he had done for him. Caresses his cheek just as gently.

 _“I love you,_ ” he whispers, watching Rufus’ lips curl up into a smile again.

_“I love you too.”_

And they say it again. And again. And again. Until they’re both quietly sobbing. Kissing each other between ‘I love yous,’ comforting one another until Rufus finally succumbs. Comes to rest quietly against his lover, hands on his chest, heartbeat slowing. Tseng holds him tightly, tries to transfer his heat to Rufus’ cold body, anything to help him. To make him stay longer.

It’s then that he sees it. Over Rufus’ shoulder.

_Her._

She looks that same as the day she died.

She reaches out for Rufus, nearly touches him, but Tseng recoils, pulling them both away from her.

 _“No.”_ He finds himself hissing, as if he could avoid the inevitable.

“Oh, Tseng,” Aerith smiles at him, looks down at him. Pity? No; maybe sympathy?

“Look at you, I’ve never seen you like this.”

He doesn’t have the heart to explain the heart wrenching feeling inside his chest. The happiness of seeing her even though she’s here to take something precious from him.

“Tseng-“

“Don’t.” He huffs out, desperation clawing at his back. Some sardonic part of him laughs at how he had taken some part of her life away as a child and now she’s here to take a part of his life away now.

Except this is his life. His whole life. Taking Rufus would be like taking his o-

“Take me instead.”

There’s no hesitation. No worry of the consequences. Tseng had signed off his life to Rufus long ago. Rufus should never be the first one to go. _Because that means Tseng failed._ He can’t tolerate that, won’t tolerate it.

“Take me instead,” he repeats. Stronger this time.

“Tseng...”

“Please,” he whispers.

Tseng has never pleaded, begged, bargained for anything for himself in his life. But in these last few moments, he’s desperate. He’d do anything. Sacrifice everything. All for Rufus to live.

Aerith watches him cling onto Rufus, eyes withholding a feral nature to protect what’s his, looking at Aerith like a wide eyed child who’s scared his favorite toy is going to be taken from him.

Tseng pleads to her again, voice barely concealing his anguish.

She swallows and makes up her mind, nods to herself.

She reaches out to

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha :)


	6. Stay Here (TsengRu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sephiroth invades the airship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 11: Struggle
> 
> Warnings: None
> 
> Pairings: TsengRu

They’re debriefing with Heidegger on the airship after the inauguration when an alarm starts ringing. One of the infantrymen comes bumbling into the room, shouting about an intruder. Heidegger runs out of the room and Rufus is about to follow until Tseng yanks his arm back.

“It’s not safe,” Tseng says, keeping his eyes on the door and giant glass windows of the room, “don’t rush in if you don’t know what’s going on, Sir.”

He pushes Rufus into a corner of the room, standing in front of him with a hand on his gun. He can hear the shuffling of Rufus taking his own shotgun out behind him. There’s a beeping in his ear and he’s quick to click his microphone on.

“Reno, report.”

“It’s Avalanche!” It sounds like Reno’s running. “That Cloud kid and his buddies, they’re heading into– Sephiroth?!”

“Sephiroth?” Tseng’s brows furrow, subconsciously stepping back into Rufus to push him further.

“Chief, there’s something wei- What the hell is that!”

“Reno? Reno. Status update.” There’s a burst of static through the line before silence. “Reno? Rude? Elena?” No reply. His mind is running a mile a minute. He needs to figure out what’s going on, but first he needs to situate Rufus. Heidegger is too incompetent to handle the situation. He can’t trust any of the infantrymen, but he can’t bring-

“Tseng?” Rufus asks quietly behind him, breaking him out of his thoughts. “What’s going-”

“We need to get you somewhere safe.” Tseng cuts him off and grabs his hand and they start running to the door, only to have it open before they get close enough for it to sense them.

A ghost of a man stands there, in all his glory. Black leather accented with strong paladins, long silver hair trailing down his figure.

Tseng stops abruptly and feels Rufus run into him. His hand instinctively goes back to balance him, his legs sliding apart in a ready stance. He ignores the fast beating of his heart, focusing on the man in front of them.

“Sephiroth?” Rufus whispers behind him, shocked and awed at the same time.

“That’s right.”

Tseng doesn't even see Sephiroth move. He instinctively juts his elbow back at the voice next to his ear, but he only meets air. He turns around with a gasp and pulls his gun up, but Masamune is already sitting at his throat, ready to kill.

“Don’t-!” He looks over to see Rufus beside Sephiroth, reaching out to him at the sight of the blade.

Sephiroth is nonchalant in turning his attention back to Rufus, sword unwavering as it stays pointed at Tseng.

“It’s good to see you, Mr. President.” Sephiroth grabs Rufus’ chin and turns his face away from Tseng. “You’ve grown up, I see.”

Tseng keeps his hand poised on his gun, waiting for a moment to strike. He admires the brave front Rufus keeps up, face glaring up at Sephiroth.

“I can’t have you interfering,” Sephiroth says before Rufus can ask anything. “Do me a favor and stay here. It’s the least you can do after I killed your father.”

Masamune moves from his throat and Tseng ignores the anxiety building in his chest at the thought of Sephiroth spearing Rufus just as he did his father. He’s quick to aim and shoot, but the bullet cracks the glass of one of the windows.

And just like that, Sephiroth is gone, disappeared into a black smoke.

“Rufus!” Tseng gasps, pocketing his gun back inside his jacket and takes a step towards the collapsed figure of his lover on the floor.

“Don’t worry,” he feels his body freeze, eyes widening as that voice sits next to his ear again, “he’s just asleep. Can’t have either of you interfering, after all.”

And just like that, it’s just the two of them alone in the room again. Tseng can’t feel his body, paralyzed from what he figures is a stop materia.

“Rufus?” He tries again, looking down at him carefully to check if he was still breathing. He tries to move his body again, but to no avail. A growl escapes his lips as he grows more agitated, willing his body to listen to him despite knowing it won’t do anything.

It feels like hours for Tseng, just standing there with Rufus on the floor and an imminent danger on the ship with them. He tries to meditate, but a fear that he hasn’t felt in years lurches in his stomach knowing that Sephiroth is one step ahead of them.

More than anything, he can’t have something happen to Rufus.

The alarms stop ringing and Tseng stumbles out of his standing pose and immediately kneels down by Rufus, watching his eyes flutter open. With a hand propped under Rufus’ back, he pushes him up to a sitting position and starts checking him for injuries.

The door slides open. Tseng barely glances back to see Heidegger before giving him a menacing glare.

“Leave.”

He doesn’t notice the commanding tone in his voice or the look of anger on Heidegger’s face as he turns his full attention back to Rufus. He barely hears footsteps begrudgingly walking away, but the quiet chuckle leaving Rufus’ mouth is loud and clear.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Tseng says quietly.

“Me too.” Rufus grins.

Tseng rolls his eyes and lets him fall back onto the floor.


	7. Broken (Rufus/OMC)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rufus visits the Honey Bee Inn to feel something besides loneliness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 12: Broken
> 
> Warnings: Sex
> 
> Pairings: Rufus/Original Male Character

He’s barely an adult the first time he requests to go to Wall Market. He feels bad for calling his driver near midnight, but he needs to leave. He had spent the last hour writhing in bed, chest heavy and body hot. It’s clear that he can’t be left with his own thoughts tonight. Not when all he can think about is how lonely he is.

How at 18, Rufus Shinra doesn’t have a friend in the world.

There’s no guards with him; he had managed to slip out of his room when they changed rotations outside his door. No one will notice he’s gone. Either ways, he knows there’s Turks roaming Wall Market at all times should he run into trouble.

He doesn’t have a plan, he just wanted to stop the feeling of his skin crawling as he wallowed in his self pity. His feet guide him to the Honey Bee Inn, only the finest establishments for him.

He barely remembers the way he barges in, demanding to see the best. Andrea Rhodea guides him into a room, and serves him wine. He resists at first. He was here to drown himself in a nameless fuck, not sit around and drink.

It takes several glasses and an hour or two later for Rufus to loosen his huffy demeanor and that’s when Andrea finally cracks him.

“Mr. Shinra,” Andrea starts, watching the boy droop a bit in his seat. He leans over to take the glass, setting it back onto the table.

“Just call me Rufus.”

“Rufus, then.” Andrea nods, visibly relaxes in his chair in hopes that Rufus will be more open to him. “What are you here for?”

Rufus doesn’t respond, only frowns and bites his lips. Andrea _knows_ that the young Shinra heir isn’t here out of lust. He’s seen all sorts of youths filter through the inn, seeking something that isn’t here.

Andrea leans forward again with a quiet sigh, places his hand on top of Rufus’, and watches him perk up, fingers twitching just slightly under his.

“How about you tell me your type then?”

Rufus doesn’t know.

Andrea does.

-

He’s 20 now, visiting the Honey Bee Inn and seeing the only worker he’s ever been with since running here two years ago.

The man runs a hair taller than him, slightly broader. He’s older than Rufus, but deceptively young in appearance. That’s okay with him, it just means that he’s experienced; loyal to the Honey Bee Inn. Trusted to not let the secret of Rufus Shinra’s preferences when he visits the inn under the guise of a playboy.

He always takes his coat, asks him how his day was. Some days, he even gives Rufus a small gift. Nothing fancy, just a trinket here and there. But it means the world to Rufus. Because here, he can pretend that he does have a friend, a lover, whatever he’s craving that night.

And tonight, the man undresses him slowly, peppers him with kisses until he’s left wanting. It’s never rough with him; always gentle and caring. He cups Rufus’ cheek, wraps an arm under his waist and runs his fingers against the skin soothingly, and kisses him as if they were lovers.

Rufus moans when the man enters him, wraps his arms around him to pull him down until he’s all but smothered.

The man whispers sweet nothings in his ears, telling him how good he feels and how much he loves him. The first few months that Rufus had met with him, they hadn’t even had sex.

_Because it was never about the sex._

A hand moves from his jaw to his neck, trails down his chest until it rests against his hip. Lips meet his again and Rufus comes with a whine, breath stolen from him as they hang onto each other tightly.

The man leaves a peck on his cheek and takes a moment to clean them both up, wiping Rufus down from head to toe even when he insists it’s unnecessary.

Then, as usual, Rufus curls up against him. He lays his head on the man’s shoulder, an arm draped onto his chest. A hand sits in his hair and rubs soothingly, another coming to rest on top of Rufus’.

The man whispers a quiet _‘I love you’_ without being asked, plays the role of a perfect lover. He lets Rufus touch him as much as he want, lets him cling until the hunger of being touch starved for his entire life settles down.

Rufus closes his eyes and wonders if he’s broken.


	8. Rufus' Teeny Tiny Waist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena can't help but listen when she hears Rufus moaning on the other side of the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 13: Breathe In, Breathe Out
> 
> Warnings: Not Whump, just fun
> 
> Pairings: TsengRu + Elena

_“Tseng, harder!”_

_“I’m trying as best as I can, Sir.”_

Elena bristles from where she walks by the President’s suite, frozen mid step as she looks from the door, to the hallway, then back to the door.

_“Tseng!”_

She glues her ear to the door, blushes when Rufus lets out a breathy moan. What could the President and Chief possibly be doing inside?

_“Harder!”_

_“Sir, I don’t think-”_

_“Put your hands to good use.”_

Shiva, Elena wished there was a peephole or some crack in the door that she could look through. They couldn’t possibly be…She shakes her head at the thought.

She nearly shrieks when something slams against the door on the other side, covers her mouth to silence herself.

_“It’s too tight.”_

_“I’m fine, Tseng. Keep going.”_

_“No, this is good enough.”_

She hears Rufus whine and huff, then a shuffling of clothes. Oh shit, she needs to get out of here! She scurries off as quietly as possible, turning the corner just as she hears the door open.

It’s not until late afternoon that she encounters the both of them, returning to the office after a charity event. She stands up to greet them, but quickly finds herself rushing over to help Rufus to the floor when he sways and doubles over.

“Sir!!” She gently sets his head onto her lap, panicking as Tseng kneels down on one knee and sighs. How was he so calm? What if something happened to the-!

Tseng rolls his eyes and makes quick work of Rufus’ buttons, pushing his jacket to the side, then his vest, then his dress shirt. Elena covers her eyes with her hands for Rufus’ modesty, but she can’t help but to peak through her fingers.

Ah?

A corset?

She watches in awe as Tseng just rolls his eyes and begins pulling at the laces.

“Breath in, breathe out,” he instructs slowly. Not to her, obviously. No way did she follow what he said by accident.

“I told you it was too tight.” He reprimands, frowning as he finally loosens the whole piece.

Rufus just gives him a loose grin and relaxes in her lap without a care in the world; as if he almost hadn’t fainted just then and there.

“Yeah, but I looked really good.”

Tseng tells Elena to go fetch water and she accidentally drops Rufus’ head onto the tile floor in her haste.


	9. Rufus' Magical Healing Ass (TsengRu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You read the title of the chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 15: Magical Healing
> 
> Warnings: Crack, Misuse of Materia?
> 
> Pairings: TsengRu

“Tseng!”

There’s a stinging sensation along his shoulder, he can feel blood pooling underneath him. Rufus frets around and he can feel two arms underneath him, lifting him up and into the car. Rude doesn’t say anything further to humiliate him, only sets him down in a seat and buckles him in carefully.

Rufus sits next to him as Reno and Rude start the car and set off. It doesn’t take long for Rufus to request the privacy screen to be brought up. Why they have one in an official operations use car escapes Tseng’s thoughts, but he’s thankful for it when Rufus unbuckles himself and straddles his lap.

“This isn’t the time,” he hisses, wincing when the seatbelt pulls against his wound.

“No, this is definitely the time,” Rufus retorts, fiddling with all his buttons and buckles.

Tseng sighs and uses his good side to help Rufus undress, fingers expertly unzipping his pants in just under a minute.

Rufus pushes his pants down to his ankles, still tucked into his shoes, but it’s good enough for him. Tseng watches him pull a small bottle of lube from his pocket, doesn’t even question it when Rufus starts fingering himself and smearing it around Tseng’s cock.

His shoulder is killing him, aching where it sits against the seatbelt. He’s not even sure he can get hard at this rate, but the way Rufus grinds against him has his cock saying otherwise.

“No condom?” Tseng grits out, a hand on Rufus’ hip to steady him.

“It won’t work with a condom.”

“What-”

“Just trust me.”

Tseng’s not sure if he should continue questioning it or just trust him. But knowing Rufus, he should probably keep his questions to himself. Either ways, his mind goes blank when Rufus lifts himself up and brings Tseng’s hand to palm his ass.

He squeezes hard and holds back a moan as Rufus takes him in, slowly sits on his cock until he bottoms out. Tseng lets his head lie back against the seat, grinds his teeth together to hold back any sounds.

He doesn’t trust the privacy screen _that_ much, but Rufus has no shame in moaning as he bounces on Tseng’s cock.

Tseng still doesn’t quite get the point of this. What is having sex in the back of the car going to do at a time like-

Something tingles.

The head of his cock presses against something hard.

_There’s something inside Rufus._

Before he can ask, Rufus wraps his arms around Tseng’s neck and takes him into a kiss. Tseng swallows each of Rufus’ moans, grips onto his ass as the car takes a sharp turn.

The tingling sensation travels from his cock, into his stomach. Tseng shivers as it travels through his body, setting him on edge.

Rufus keens and grinds against him, tells him how good he feels, builds Tseng up until he’s ready to come.

A familiar heat builds up in Tseng’s lower abdomen and his body feels strangely numb as he thrusts his hips up to meet Rufus.

But there’s still that sensation.

And it feels _good._

“Tseng!” Rufus quakes in his hold, presses against him as he climaxes.

Tseng digs his fingers into his ass, feels overwhelmed by the tingling coursing through his body. He practically growls as he pulls Rufus against him tighter, ignores the familiar green sparkles around them as he comes.

He comes back to himself panting, his head digging into Rufus’ neck as he lays relaxed on top of him.

“What happened?” Tseng asks quietly.

“Does your shoulder still hurt?” Rufus pushes himself up, pushes aside Tseng’s jacket to look at the wound himself.

Tseng tilts his head to the side, really thinks about it for a moment, before letting out a hesitant, “No…”

Rufus just laughs and pulls himself off his lap and brings his pants back up, sitting back down next to Tseng and laying his head on his shoulder.

Tseng tucks himself back in, touches his shoulder to make sure everything’s okay. He _has_ to ask now.

“Please tell me there isn’t a cure materia up your ass.”

“Actually,” Rufus sticks a finger up to correct him, “there’s a _full_ cure materia up my ass.”

Tseng groans and holds himself back from strangling him.

In the front seats, Rude blushes in the passenger seat, keeping his eyes forward. Reno squints as he drives, blinded earlier from Rufus’ ass through the rear view mirror.


	10. Project R

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 15, 16, 17: Possession, Hallucinations, Dirty Secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: None
> 
> Pairings: TsengRu
> 
> Summary: Project R was deemed a failure. Evidently, they were wrong.

He had told Rufus not to come to the temple, had a bad feeling swelling in his stomach since the night before as they laid together, Rufus’ head on his shoulder in a peaceful slumber while Tseng worried his mind away.

Rufus had insisted though, wanted to be with Tseng out of worry or pure excitement of seeing the temple himself.

 _He should have fought harder to make him stay on the ship_ , Tseng thinks as he stands on the other end of Rufus’ shotgun. His own gun is dropped on the floor, hands up and open in a show of peace.

“Rufus.”

Tseng only gets a slight smirk back, a look he’s seen Rufus use when he has the winning hand, but never like this. Not at him. His eyes shine too brightly, a sickeningly green hue to them instead of ice blue.

Tseng’s seen the reports, stayed up all night like a madman reading them when he first became Director and had access to the files.

Project R.

The injection of Jenova cells into Rufus at the age of 5.

He remembers the cold indifference of the reports, notes about his reactions to the various concoctions, how he had screamed, vomited, seized up until he passed out.

The project was abruptly cancelled the same time as the Madame Shinra’s death and considered a failure. Rufus had never shown any promises towards the J-cells injected into him, rejected every round of testing.

Tseng’s never spoken to Rufus about it. The last file said that Rufus had suffered from traumatic memory loss of his time in the lab and that was that. Tseng didn’t want to risk bringing it up.

Evidently. Project R hadn’t been a complete failure.

“Rufus-!”

He crumbles to one knee, groaning from the bullet gone through his shoulder. A hand grasps at the wound, applying pressure onto it, eyes never leaving the form of his lover.

Footsteps come rumbling into the room. He hears the unsheathing of a sword, a gun being cocked, and a series of surprised gasps.

“Tseng!” Aerith stands at the front of the party, takes a step towards him hesitantly.

“Don’t.” He grits out, sweeps over the weapons pointed at his lover for a brief moment before turning back to Rufus. “Don’t hurt him.”

It’s tense. The torches on the wall flicker and there’s murmuring from the group aside him. His shoulder is dripping with blood, seeping through his gloves and onto the floor. He could try to charge and disarm him, but he didn’t know how much control Sephiroth had of his body. There was the merry group of friends to take note of too.

There’s a ripple in the air and a dark miasma bleeds out from nowhere. He bites his lips as Sephiroth manifests himself behind Rufus, resists the urge to lunge protectively. The party yells by the doorway, he sees Cloud rushing towards Sephiroth with his weapon ready.

Sephiroth winds his arms around Rufus, one around his waist and one around his chest, and shifts them so Rufus is standing in front of him. In front of Cloud.

Tseng sees red and he finds himself darting across the room before he can think. He swoops his gun off from the ground and slams his body against Cloud’s, grunting at the impact and rolling to a stop with his pistol cocked and ready against him.

“That’s right.” Sephiroth and Rufus’ voices meld together. Tseng glares at the black clad hand resting against Rufus’ chest move up to wrap around his neck. Sephiroth’s lips come to sit much too close to Rufus’ ear for Tseng’s liking. He doesn’t even attempt a whisper, speaks so all of them can hear.

“Kill him. He’s been hiding information from you.” Sephiroth coaxes, the hand wrapped around Rufus’ waist slides up his side, onto his arm, hand comes to rest against Rufus’ and slightly press his finger against the trigger and point it at Tseng.

Tseng keeps his gun trained on Cloud, but watches Rufus’ brows furrow, eyes glimmering between mako green and ice blue.

“Rufus?” Tseng asks quietly, just the slightest hint of a plead in his voice to try and recall his lover back.

Rufus’ shotgun lowers, knees buckling slightly as he holds his head in pain. And that’s all Tseng needs. His gun is repositioned and shot in a second at Sephiroth’s head. The bullet goes right through him, ricochets off the wall.

Tseng is on his feet and rushing towards Rufus in the next moment, heart pounding in his chest when he hears the sound of a blade swinging and the glint of metal in his peripheral.

He doesn’t hear the animalistic scream he lets out, barely registers the pain of a sword slashing his torso as he makes it in front of Rufus at the last moment. There’s swords clashing and guns blazing in the next moment, but Tseng doesn’t care. He only feels relief when he strains and turns his body around to check on Rufus, curled against the altar with his head in his hands, eyes squeezed in pain.

Tseng reaches out to him, has to crawl slightly. His body feels so heavy, the ache from the slash and bullet racing through his veins now that his adrenaline’s depleted. He manages to get one hand on Rufus’ knee before he slumps onto the floor, vision going black.

The room quiets just as quickly as it started and Tseng hears Cait Sith’s voice and a murmur from Vincent before his body’s picked up. There’s a familiar lull of materia cast on him. He can hear Rufus calling his name just before he passes out.

Tseng wakes up to a white room, body sluggish and heavy with a plethora of machines beeping around him. He squints and waits for his vision to even out, a blurry head of platinum hair groggily picking itself up from where it was hunched over his bed. Tseng registers the warmth in his hand a moment later, squeezes slightly and gets a harder squeeze back.

“Tseng!” Rufus smiles in relief and starts fretting over him.

“What happened?” he asks dryly, sipping on the water Rufus brings up to his lips.

Rufus sets the glass down and wraps both hands around Tseng’s and massages the back of his hand with a thumb.

“Sephiroth attacked you inside the Temple,” Rufus says softly, eyes distant as he recalls the events. Of how he had been alerted by Reeve of Tseng’s wound, how he had run down from the ship along with the medical staff when Vincent had come back with Tseng’s body. How he had yelled at Reeve for not acting sooner, apologizing a week later when he realized he had misplaced the blame.

_Something’s wrong with the story._

Tseng’s brows furrow as he listens. This isn’t how he remembers it, not how he lived through it. He was sure Rufus had been there, sure that he saw ice blue eyes turn green before staring down the barrel of Rufus’ custom shotgun.

“Your torso will need a few more weeks to recover.” Rufus continues briefing him. “There’s also your shoulder...Do you remember getting shot?”

A cold air breezes by in the stagnant room. Tseng shivers.

“No,” he says dryly, shoulder aching suddenly.

“I don’t know how I got it.”


End file.
